France and Paraguay will meet on July 4 in Philadelphia’s last World Cup game
Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, and the rest of Les Bleus' stars are coming back to town.
From the moment the World Cup draw was made last December, Philadelphia and the soccer world started dreaming of a potential France-Germany showdown on July 4.
Alas, that dream did not come true, thanks to Germany flopping in an upset loss to Paraguay on Monday. But the other half of the equation has delivered, as the city already saw in the group stage. France will return to town as the favorite to win it all, with its superstar attacking core firing on all cylinders.
After scoring 10 goals in the group stage, the most of any of the 48 teams in the tournament, Les Bleus laid a 3-0 hammering down on Sweden in the Meadowlands on Tuesday. Kylian Mbappé scored twice to match Lionel Messi’s six goals in the tournament to date, and between them Bradley Barcola struck his second goal of the summer.
Ousmane Dembélé, the reigning world player of the year with the Ballon D’Or (Golden Ball) award, has four goals, and Desiré Doué has one. The fifth superweapon, winger Michael Olise, has a team-leading five assists — and came inches from a spectacular first World Cup goal on Tuesday when a bicycle kick attempt hit the post.
Paraguay will arrive in town after overcoming its 4-1 loss to the United States in its group stage opener. La Albirroja beat Turkey, 1-0, held Australia to a scoreless tie, then toppled Germany in a penalty kick shootout after a 1-1 tie.
» READ MORE: Paraguay upsets Germany on penalty kicks to book a ticket to Philadelphia’s July 4 game
This was the team that looked much more like the one that rode a stingy defense to its first World Cup berth in 16 years, finishing sixth in South America’s 10-team round robin with the second-lowest goals allowed total (10).
Paraguay’s roster has many familiar faces to fans of MLS. Miguel Almirón (Atlanta United), Andrés Cubas (Vancouver Whitecaps), and Braian Ojeda (Orlando) play in the league now, and three others that used to: Matías Galarza (Atlanta), Diego Gómez (Inter Miami), and Alejandro “Kaku” Romero Gamarra (New York Red Bulls).
It’s easy to say the matchup is offense vs. defense, but France is also plenty stingy. They’ve allowed just two goals in four games so far, one each to Senegal and Norway. That’s what manager Didier Deschamps has always demanded in his 14-year tenure, just as he did as a player: the midfield anchor and captain of France’s 1998 World Cup and 2000 Euros champions.
Sometimes over the years, it has felt like that approach has stifled France’s constellation of stars. But the results have ultimately come: Euros runner-up in 2016, World Cup champions in 2018, UEFA Nations League champions in 2021, and runners-up to Lionel Messi’s Argentina in 2022’s all-time classic final.
» READ MORE: What to know about the World Cup knockout bracket
This time, this team is all in for Deschamps’ final tournament on the bench. Even Mbappé, often criticized for not playing enough defense at his club, Spain’s Real Madrid, is doing his part.
They’re also in for Deschamps himself, as his mother passed away recently. He left the tournament for a few days to attend to that, returned in time for Tuesday’s contest, and when Mbappé opened the scoring, he ran over to give his manager a big hug.
Deschamps looked just as thrilled, no matter how much of Mbappé’s sweat landed on his suit on a hot day.
Now France is aiming squarely at becoming just the third team in men’s World Cup history to make three straight finals. Brazil did it in 1994, ‘98, and ‘02, winning the first and third (and losing the second to France); and Germany did it in 1982, ‘86, and ‘90, winning the last of them.
The world is watching and waiting to see how far this team goes. Philadelphia has already had a front-row seat once, the 3-0 win over Iraq where Mbappé scored a spectacular strike and Dembélé scored his first major-tournament goal after many years of trying. Now it gets a second turn.
» READ MORE: The Bay Area’s famed rallying cry rings true with the USMNT in town for the World Cup: Just win, baby
France’s first visit also made headline for the thunderstorms that delayed the start of the second half by two hours. Saturday’s game could land in Mother Nature’s bullseye again, with the heat dome expected to crack that day and send the sky exploding. It’s just a question of what time, and whether it happens early enough to pass on by kickoff.
With that big caveat on the table, the countdown is on. Clashes between European and South American teams have defined World Cups for generations, and this one will add another chapter to the history.
In this World Cup, underdogs are stealing the spotlight, the U.S. men are on a roll, and Philadelphia has not only welcomed the world but has given visitors a crash course on just how real the curse of the Rocky Statue can be.
Join Jonathan Tannenwald, the Inquirer's soccer writer, and host Lisa Carlin, analyst for CBS Sports Golazo, as they dissect the matches, the moments, and more as Philly has its moment in soccer's brightest spotlight. Watch our latest episode right here.
Watch previous episodes:
Episode 1: The Wait is Over!
Episode 2: Groups, Goals, and Glory
Episode 3: Electric Action in Philly
